The Road We’re On — A Not So Fictional Future of Social Media
Svelt was not one to brood over a loss. After his defeat on Clark Mountain, he retreated to the dark web with his Margosha and Putin avatars to work on Plan B. They decided to take a more indirect route to their goal of world domination, one that would use new science and new technology to divide and conquer.
Their scheme drew upon findings of the Human Brain Project, or HBP. Begun in 2013, the HBP was to run for ten years with the goal of understanding how our 86 billion neurons, each with up to 10,000 connections, work to control mind and body.
As with other epic projects, it took longer than expected but, half a century later, the mysteries of the brain’s circuitry and chemistry were revealed. And, under the project’s promise of transparency, the results were shared with the world. From Svelt’s perspective, it was as if the Manhattan Project had published the design of the atomic bomb in the New York Times.
The Big Data from the HBP was a gold mine of nature’s secrets, and among the nuggets were revelations that Svelt sought to weaponize. At the top of his list were the neural reward systems and the role neurotransmitters and hormones like dopamine and adrenaline play in controlling behavior — the same chemicals that keep heroin users shooting up, gamblers playing beyond their means, and lynch mobs taking justice into their own hands.
For millions of years, these chemicals had shaped our brains, directing behaviors like nurturing our young and fending off wild animals. Now, with no lions lurking in the shadows, these chemicals were just sitting there, begging to be repurposed. Svelt’s super-weapon would tap this hidden potential to reprogram our brains.
Like despots before him, Svelt planned to exploit the needs of people to feel accepted and affirmed and use that power to herd everyone into self-reinforcing affinity groups — then pit those groups against each other.
He would widen the cracks in society already created by media fragmentation earlier in the century, leaning heavily on hate and anger, as these were easier to manipulate than love. He was confident, perhaps too much so, that after achieving total control, he could re-assemble the world under the same tribe, his tribe.
Svelt had a long list of competitors in the identity breeding industry. Media and tech empires, nation-states, political parties, industry groups, and plain-old InfoWars wannabes, everyone wanted into the game. Some played for ideological reasons but most for profit and power.
At first, there were thousands trying to slice off a piece of the fake news pie, but, as with all industries, there came consolidation. Over the years, the big fish either acquired or ate the little fish until there were only a dozen conglomerates. And, as with any good conspiracy, they were given a name — the Manipulators.
Eventually, it became all about the money, with morality, ideology, and truth relegated to just another brand to sell. Most Manipulators controlled multiple channels with entirely different stances on the same issues.
Few consumers were aware that they and their ideological enemies were being programmed in opposite directions by the same corporate beast. All that mattered was the ability to influence and shape the tribes to the benefit of the corporation.
The clear-minded pleaded with the companies whose social media platforms hosted Manipulator content — please, please turn off the spigot of hate and lies that are killing our future.
The response from those companies whose pipes delivered the toxic brew mirrored the morality of Sherlock Holm’s nemesis, Professor Moriarity, “War on an industrial scale is inevitable; they’ll do it themselves within a few years. All I want to do is to own the bullets and the bandages.” The last line of defense was breached.
All a company needed to do to keep money flowing into their coffers was to monitor every nuance of behavior and let the AI engine lead the customer down the path that triggered the right brain chemical at the right time. Most people saw it as customers and corporations happily engaged in free speech and innocent fun.
In reality, it was a form of addiction, but since it didn’t involve needles or street corner dealers, no one paid any attention. It’s hard to fight addiction when everyone is addicted.
Advertisers had no choice but to adapt. No longer could they take a neutral stance on issues or pander to the broader market segment. To avoid boycotts, they followed the fragmented markets and began to segment their offerings and sell to specific tribes — one brand of whiskey for the right, one for the left, and milk for the middle.
Some Manipulators went so far as engaging in the blackmail of politicians and business leaders — trading good press for influence on critical decisions they could monetize. Others took to stock market manipulation, making fortunes placing the right trades just before an inflammatory tweet or artificial crisis. Who needs insider information when you could make up your own reality?
To the Manipulators, it was all about controlling the stage, and they were good at it. They didn’t care that they were tearing the fabric of human society apart at the exact time we needed to come together.
This story is an excerpt from VR Bar, a work in progress novel of the future
